On Media

MSNBC's Ronan Farrow, who has hosted three hours of daytime television so far in his career, will receive The Cronkite Award for Excellence in Exploration and Journalism at an annual Reach The World event tonight.

Ahead of the event, Reach The World required reporters attending to the event to refrain from asking “off-topic” questions — a move to ensure that Farrow will not have to comment on the controversy surrounding his supposed father, Woody Allen.

“The theme of the evening is global education and service,” a memo to the press reads. “All press are required to stay strictly on message. Any press who ask guests or Mr. Farrow about off-message topics will be immediately escorted out of the event.”

A representative for Reach The World who spoke to The New York Post's Page Six said the requirement was set in place by MSNBC — "Farrow is not doing interviews and the rules come from his team direct to you" — but MSNBC disputes that.

"Ronan and his team did not request any restrictions on reporters' questions," Lauren Skowronski, an MSNBC spokeawoman, told POLITICO after an earlier version of this post.

Reach The World says Farrow, as a former activist, lawyer and U.S. government adviser, exemplifies the "intersection between exploration and journalism." Farrow, 26, previously served as a UNICEF spokesperson for youth, as a special adviser for humanitarian and NGO affairs for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and as director of the State Department's Office of Global Youth Issues.

Farrow's inaugural show on Monday had 216,000 total viewers and 46,000 viewers in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic, making it the lowest-rated show on MSNBC for the day.

UPDATE (5:48 p.m.): Reach The World has released the following statement:

A media outlet posted a gossip item today suggesting that Ronan Farrow had warned reporters attending tonight’s ceremony not to inquire about “personal” issues. This is incorrect. The press tip sheet was created and distributed by Reach the World's own independent PR firm without being reviewed or approved by Ronan or any member of his team.

“Ronan and his team did not request any restrictions whatsoever on reporters’ questions,” says Heather Halstead, Executive Director of Reach the World. “Communications between Reach the World and members of the press have been the sole responsibility of RTW. We apologize to Ronan for this error.” MSNBC had specified only that Farrow would not have that much time to answer reporters’ questions — not which kinds of questions, if any, were off-limits.